"Broken Embraces" from 2009 is another fine film by Pedro Almodovar, not my favorite, but still good. And again, it stars Penelope Cruz, whom he starred in "Volver." Instead of channeling Sophia Loren this time, for the purposes of the film within a film, she's like Audrey Hepburn.A blind screenwriter, Harry Caine (Lluís Homar), lives in Madrid and is helped in his daily activities by Judit and her son, Diego, whom he has known for years.When he learns of that businessman Ernesto Martel has died, it brings him back to the past.In the 1990s and before he was blinded, Harry went under his real name of Mateo Blanco and worked as a director. Casting his latest (and his last) film, he meets Lena (Cruz) and sparks fly between them immediately. He casts her, and her boyfriend, the older Ernesto, finances it. Nervous and possessive, he sends his son to film the filming and to spy on Lena and Mateo, and to give him the footage. His son does this, pretending to do a documentary about Mateo. There's plenty to see - the two are in love and having an affair. Not only that, but he has a lip reader tell him what they are saying on and off-camera.This is a film about passion, jealousy, creativity, as Ernesto views the "dailies" the way that Mateo probably views his own "dailies" during the movie. It's also about psychological blindness as well as physical blindness, both of which affect Harry. It's a melodramatic tale of tragic love, but an involving one, and a little on the long side.Penelope Cruz is unbelievably gorgeous, and does an effective job as Lena. There are other Almodovar films I prefer to this, including All About My Mother, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and Volver, but I think his work is always worth seeing.

Almodovar's latest film is one of his weakest ones in recent times. It has elements of his previous directorial brilliance, but it doesn't have the clarity and freshness of past scripts. The main reason of the film's failure is the superposition of two stories, past and present but related, which are barely linked narratively and poorly edited.I liked the dramatic romance of the past -the one on which Almodovar should have focused- in which we see, once more, his masterly at directly actors, and at creating classic personal and glamorous atmospheres and soundtracks.Penelope Cruz is always great under Almodovar's direction, a greatness that we rarely see in her Hollywood roles. She's believable as Lena, a hypocritical sexy and cheating rich wife. Ernesto, her rich and madly in love husband, is played by a terrific José Luis Gómez, who shines over everybody else in this movie. Blanca Portillo is OK as Judit, too. I did not like Lluis Homar as Mateo at all, as he seems to play always the same role.A detail that caught my attention in the scene in which Lena is going to leave Ernesto. The scene visually focus on Pe's beautiful red stilettos, but, hey, the shoes are a size bigger than they should be, so, when she walks you can see that. I thought that was an unforgivable mistake in a scene in which Pe's feet are the star.The dull pointless modern story is a bad counteract to the past story. It doesn't add anything to the film, really. A waste of time and of footage. It is silly, meaningless, superfluous and pretentious. In addition, the film opens with a sex scene that doesn't add anything to the character or to the movie, and that is not even daring or sexy at all.If Almodóvar had a little more humility and less conceit in recent years would see again the great director he is, with captivating provocative stories and exquisite productions. He seems to be getting lost in his own grandeur, unfortunately.

In my eyes this is one of Almodovar's best, just coming in behind Bad Education and talk to her, It has his usual brilliant directing and shot making, with his usual outstanding, hand and feet ahead, slightly over the top story, that follows through. It also has his usual bright and vibrant character and sets.One of those instant classics. A Spanish masterpiece, one for all to see and one of those 8.5/10 scores.It is not given the right justification in the trailer, and is much better than I had even expected, yet I know he is the Best Director(in my mind). It also has my favourite actress Penelope Cruz and also brilliant acting by all of the wrest of the cast, with a particularly outstanding performance by Lluís Homar.

I watched this film because I had seen All About My Mother four years ago and loved it. I was happy to see that Broken Embraces retains the vibrant cinematography with its rich array of primary colors and perspectives only a camera can provide. Broken Embraces, whose settings are less gritty than those of All About My Mother, is even more gorgeous to look at than its predecessor. Moreover, the memorable shots in Broken Embraces never feel gratuitous or self-indulgent, but always seem to enhance the emotion of the plot points. Broken Embraces' melodramatic plot, however, does not dig as deeply into its themes as All About My Mother does. Some themes reappear, such as coming to terms with a dark past, optimism during life's crises, art, and homosexuality (although this is only touched on in Broken Embraces). It also stays away from some of All About My Mother's darker subjects, such as AIDS, transvestitism, and the death of a son. Whereas the latter is a dark, evocative drama, the former is a film-noir thriller with Penelope Cruz as the quintessential femme fatale (there's even a "I knew she was trouble when she walked into my office" scene!). Ms. Cruz gives a lovely performance, but after seeing her play an HIV-positive pregnant nun in All About My Mother and a jilted maniac in Vicki Cristina Barcelona, I figured she could play a charming but troubled actress in her sleep. The other performances are quite good as well, particularly Lluis Homar as a gentle but passionate screenwriter who has lost his sight. Taken on its own, Broken Embraces is an entertaining, romantic, and cinematically stunning film. I intended this review for those who, like me, were looking for another All About My Mother. At the end of that film, I felt inspired by the beauty of the world around me and amazed that such a dark film left me feeling so optimistic. While I enjoyed Broken Embraces and did not feel like I'd wasted my time watching it, it did not provide as powerful an emotional experience as that of All About My Mother.